The United Kingdom is nowhere close to achieving its Climate Change Act goals regarding GHG emissions, but one would ask himself why that is so, considering all the ‘green’ and sustainable campaigns taking place nowadays. The problem is that the existing technologies from other industries which can help reduce GHG emissions such as domestic sun-powered batteries and thermally massive wall systems with water are not used properly. According to the BRE Domestic & Non-Domestic Energy Fact Files 1994 & 2003 and the DECarb 1996 data almost 90% of the GHG emissions can be attributed to space and water heating and L&A (lighting and appliances) mostly in domestic dwellings and commercial offices. However, only about 1% of those buildings actually have efficient measures to limit their GHG emissions because it either costs too much for the client or the regulations do not require it.

The benefits of a thermally massive water system (similar to underfloor water heating) with a pump powered by a domestic battery (much like the Tesla Powerwall) are evident as the technology is available and efficient. The water system would gain heat during the day from the Sun and would be able to store it due to the high specific heat capacity of water for the night. Moreover, the battery would charge during the day in order to power the heat pump when the water gets colder or to provide power for L&A (lighting and appliances). Thus, buildings will reduce their GHG emissions due to the limited amount of energy needed for space and water heating and L&A which are the main reasons for the United Kingdom’s problem with GHG emissions up to this day.